Age of Magnus: Keepers of the Rain follows the ruling A.I. system of Earth as it prepares to battle a group of humans that want to restore power to the human race. Where you able to wrap up all your storylines in this third book?

I must say yes, I have managed to complete the trilogy with this final volume of the Magnus series, bringing this post-apocalyptic science fiction story to satisfactory conclusion. The storyline has been in development during the final stages of completion of the second novel of the trilogy. Before I started my work, I knew exactly how the story would end. All of the characters presented in the final book were new, and it was an interesting process of integrating them into the story. I wanted this to be a character driven book that also poses many interesting philosophical questions about relationship between man and advanced Artificial Intelligence and man’s relationship with nature.

Has writing and publishing this trilogy changed the way you see the future of technology?

Ever since I was a kid, I was always fascinated by technological marvels. Over many years, my interest in technologies, especially futuristic technologies and new forms of energy provided me with rich food for thought. I initially saw technology as the necessary part of everyday world, until gradually, I matured to become more analytical about its applications. Writing and publishing this book made me aware of many interesting possibilities advanced computer technology can offer mankind in its technological evolution. In my novel, I imagined a very powerful Artificial Intelligence that helps mankind in its darkest moments in history, but at the same time demands order over chaos and kindness and respect over cruelty and arrogance. In some ways, the A.I. can be more humane than any human if it taught the right values from the start.

What risks have you taken with your writing that have paid off?

This is an interesting question. For writer, there are always risks he or she must take to see the story move from start to finish. Some writers tend to be either too shy, too nice or too politically correct to get their point across without being labeled as abnormal or evil. Thankfully, in my story politics takes a backseat to the drama and the scenery where my characters operate. In my story, each person has a motive, regardless of them being protagonists or antagonists. My biggest risk in this book was in taking Magnus’s side in the human-machine conflict. Since I wrote this trilogy from Magnus’s point of view, I have imprinted on Magnus some of my strongest personality traits. There is an old saying: Everybody Wants to Rule the World. Through Magnus, I drove my point across how I would rule the world if I had attained absolute control over the planet. I do think that risk paid off because the book was worth it!

What advice would you give to a writer working on their first book?

I would advise them to be patient and set realistic goals from the beginning, in order to avoid their great expectations to be damaged or crushed because of multiple rejections. Working on the first book is a great pleasure, once the writer knows what kind of story he or she wants to tell. I would advise the writer to make his first book character driven, have interesting and intriguing storyline and keep the sentences clear, simple and avoid literary cliches. First time book writers are very impressionable and take their inspiration from other books and movies. The trick is to develop your own voice and carry it through the book from start to finish. My final advice would be to make their characters, especially their main characters to have flaws. All humans have them and the characters’ vulnerabilities as well as their strengths would make them more sympathetic.

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